Prayers

Aug 23, 2011

VENTING

I just had to put this down for posterity.

I have been doing some traveling lately.  Not real big traveling, but more driving than I have done in several years.  I have spent the last 5-10 at home and it has pretty much required my children, family obligations (think funerals), or a shoe horn to get me out of my house.

So lately I have been going places again and I have been repeatedly confronted with something that I view as a reflection of our current screwed up culture. 

I am talking about roundabouts.

What the heck is the purpose of these and why WHY, for Pete's sake, would we accept quietly the fact that now instead of going straight ahead we have to take the 2nd right in order to actually GO straight ahead?????  Is this supposed to make it more equal?  So now everybody has to slow way down and pay attention instead of having a through road and two stop signs?  How much do you think that cost?  In dollars, of course, not lives.  That could probably not be accurately calculated.

Has this not struck anyone else as street rat crazy??????  Am I the only one still awake?  Would it be worth it if I was?  I think not.

I was infuriated.  Especially when I came upon them unexpectedly in the dark.

I freely admit that it may not be advisable to travel in the dark when you really can't see anything.  But plenty of people do it all the time when they think they know the road.

Do not assume anything anymore, people.  Especially do not assume that anything is going to make any sense.  It may be safer to accept that but I will fight it until my death which I dread a little bit less every day.

The only good reason I can think of for something like roundabouts is that the powers that be are trying to restrict the bigger trucks from using these roads.  That works for me.  Unless I would have been behind the poor trucker who, knowing no better, suddenly came upon a roundabout where there had previously only been a stop sign and had to slam on his brakes, not hit anybody already in the circle part, and THEN hit the 2nd right without missing a beat.  That would be horrifying, no????

This was compounded in Columbia Sunday when taking the first right in order to actually turn right, I found myself at a gas station that, when I got out, I noticed had no trash can.  Instead of the usual trash can, there was a big pot of fake flowers in the middle of the pumps at each row.  In addition, instead of having the bins with the window washing solution and the squeegees (Oh, America, I miss you already!!)  there were more pots of fake flowers.

It being the last station on the way out of town on 763, near the God forsaken roundabout, I quickly concluded two things.

1) Obviously this gas station has been bought by people who are not from America, and know what you need to take care of a car.  I suppose they could be from America, but I doubt it.

2)  Never to take this route again.  Unless I'm only going to the 63 Diner, and to remember the culturally lost roundabout.

So, we are now living in a world where to continue straight ahead we need to take the 2nd right.

Does that make any sense to you?????